Constructor: Adam Wagner
Relative difficulty: Medium (a few proper nouns might've EDGED this UP to Medium-Challenging for some)
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THEME: MAGNET (69A: Object represented visually twice in this puzzle) — IRON is attached to both ends of a U-shaped MAGNET (there are two such MAGNETs in the grid, both of them containing unchecked (circled) squares that spell out the chemical symbol of iron, i.e. "F" and "E" (for "Fe")):
Theme answers:
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Well this certainly has more visual interest than most Tuesdays. More whimsy and more unorthodoxitude (unchecked squares!). I had to solve it on the NYT puzzle site (ugh) because my software warned me that it couldn't replicate certain visual elements and thus "the solving experience may be compromised," but I don't think it was necessary. It definitely helps to have the pictures of the (obvious) MAGNETs there, but having roughly U-shaped black-square arrangements in the same place achieves pretty much the same effect. I would've had to infer the MAGNET part, sure, but that would've been part of the fun—to see the IRON answers come into view and realize that their position vis-a-vis the black square arrangements mattered. But here, the entire gimmick is just handed to me before I've even started the puzzle. What's more (worse?), the pictures of MAGNETs in the grid make the revealer completely unnecessary. It's redundant. We can *see* the MAGNETs, we don't need to be told that they are "represented visually" in the grid ... whereas we *would* need to be told (or a revealer would at least be theoretically useful) if those MAGNET pictures were just black squares. What I'm saying is that this puzzle would probably work best *without* the pictures. I get that the NYT wants to show off its fancy puzzle layout capabilities, but all that does today is sap the grid of some of its challenge, some of its mystery (i.e. some of its pleasure).
A single IRON FILING is very odd. I didn't even write FILING in at first because when FILINGS, plural, didn't fit, I figured it must be some other phrase. Who ever heard of a MAGNET with a single IRON FILING attached to one of its poles? The clue itself says "debris" ... which really does suggest multiple FILINGS. Beyond that, I thought the theme was conceptually cute, and the theme answers were all vivid and fun to uncover, though painfully easy to uncover—once you see what the first IRON answer is doing, you've already got a huge clue to getting the next three: just add IRON. I'm kind of startled by FATBOY SLIM, in a good way, though not in a Tuesday way. FATBOY SLIM appears in the NYTXW for the first time today, despite the fact that he has not released an album under that name for the better part of twenty years. What I'm saying is, he had several *huge* songs around the turn of the century, so he's not "obscure," but it's weird that he never appeared in his own original fame window (or shortly thereafter). I mean, the Times is (or was) notoriously belated in coming around to contemporary pop culture names, but 20+ years belated? That's belated. Anyway, I have no idea how recognizable his name will be to solvers, but if you're roughly Millennial or Gen X, it seems highly likely that his name will at least ring bells. I know his name well, and remember being stunned to find out, some years after I'd first heard of him, that FATBOY SLIM had (under his real name, Normal Cook) been in The Housemartins, one of my very favorite bands in college. A completely different musical style.
Relative difficulty: Medium (a few proper nouns might've EDGED this UP to Medium-Challenging for some)
Theme answers:
- IRON FILING (28D: Debris from welding or power drilling)
- IRON MAIDEN (29D: Heavy metal band whose name includes an actual heavy metal)
- PUMPED IRON (9D: Lifted weights, informally)
- WAFFLE IRON (10D: Breakfast appliance)
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook; 31st July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist for the Hull-based indie rock band the Housemartins, who achieved a UK number-one single with their a cappella cover of "Caravan of Love". After the Housemartins split, Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton, who produced the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me". He then played in Freak Power, Pizzaman, and the Mighty Dub Katz with moderate success. // In 1996, Cook adopted the name Fatboy Slim and released Better Living Through Chemistry to critical acclaim. Follow-up albums You've Come a Long Way, Baby, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, and Palookaville, as well as singles such as "The Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You", "Right Here, Right Now", "Weapon of Choice", and "Wonderful Night", achieved commercial and critical success. In 2008, Cook formed the Brighton Port Authority, a collaborative effort with a number of other established artists including David Byrne. He has been responsible for successful remixes for Cornershop, the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Groove Armada, and Wildchild. // Despite not releasing a new studio album since 2004, Cook has been musically active with touring and made a concept album Here Lies Love with Byrne in 2010. Cook holds the Guinness World Record for most top-40 hits under different names. As a solo act, he has won nine MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards.
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[SHEEPLE!]
Speaking of belatedness, what is the deal with HBOGO still appearing in grids? How long ago was this puzzle accepted? Either the NYTXW accepted this puzzle 2+ years ago and is just getting around to publishing it now, or people still have HBOGO in their wordlists. If the former, that lag time seems criminal (though not as bad as the lag time sometimes used to be, that's for sure). If the latter, please, I beg you, remove HBOGO from your wordlists now. You can add HBOMAX if you haven't already, but always be ready to override your damned software. Bygone answers are inevitable, but there's something particularly sad and weak about a bygone streaming service. It was around for a decade, but now it's gone. SUNSETted, if you will (I won't—you can keep your horrid businessese to yourself). Also, HBOGO repeats GO (from "GO SEE"), so it's bad on two counts. Sticking with GO-words, I didn't know HIDALGO, but luckily I did know ELMIRA, which is just [points out window] over there. Down the road about an hour or so. Surprised anyone outside central New York knows it, but you do see it in puzzles every once in a while. No other obvious potential sticking points today, that I can see. OK, time for breakfast. I really want waffles now, or maybe EGGS Benedict, but knowing (lazy) me it'll just be oatmeal again. Oh who am I kidding, I love my oatmeal! I love routine! Waffles are for weekends. See you tomorrow.